6 Podcasts That Aspiring Authors And Writers Should Be Listening To

If you’re an aspiring author, someone interested in the craft of writing or maybe you’re interested in improving your writing skills there are books you can read, classes you can attend and even podcasts to listen to.

Podcasts for me, are one of my favorite ways to not only be entertained but to learn something new as well. As someone who is passionate about writing, but thinks they have a lot to learn about the craft before ever submitting anything to the public, I find that podcasts have been a great avenue for learning more about he craft of writing and even the publishing world.

My current favorite writing podcasts range in topics from teaching grammar to learning more about the craft to self-publishing and each vary in style and delivery from each of the hosts. Some are clean and safe for work while others are not safe for work unless you’re wearing headphones and you have the volume turned way down. They thing they all have in common though is the passion and desire from each show to pass on the knowledge they have in order to help other writers get better at…writing.

In no particular order, here are my favorite podcasts that writers and authors should be listening to.

Hosted by Mignon Fogarty this Grammar Girl offers easy to follow, no-nonsense tips on grammar, punctuation and and style in a fun, laid back manner that will help improve your writing. The episodes are typically around twenty minutes making them perfect for shorter commutes or for when you just have a little bit of time to kill.

When you put a bunch of authors in a room, give them a topic and a limited amount of time to discuss said topic, you get Writing Excuses. This is a short podcast (coming in at only 15 minutes) that is packed full of interesting discussions about the craft of writing.

If you need straight answers about writing and the craft of writing then author Mur Lafferty is the voice for you. In each episode you will find informative writing advice that you can use to improve your own writing, a question and answer session or an interview with another author. I really dig the no nonsense approach to I should be writing and the title of the podcast is great advice for every writer.

K.M Weiland shares her advice, tips and tricks to help you tackle your next writing project. She is the author of Outlining Your Novel and in each episode she shares her advice for tackling character arcs, outlining, editing and more.

The DIY MFA is a manifesto and book created by Gabriela Pereira and her belief is that you don’t need to go to a fancy school or drop thousands of dollars in order to get your MFA. She believes that you can take the essence of the school going MFA experience and do it yourself at home and on your own time. This philosophy spills over into the podcast where she interviews authors and has some sage advice for wannabe writers.

If you already have that book written but aren’t sure what to do with it, the guys behind the mics of The Self Publishing Podcast can help teach you the steps required to publish your own book and help make it a success. The episodes tend to run a little on the long side and they often get side tracked with nsfw language and topics but the information in each episode is stuff you don’t want to miss out on if you intend to self publish.

Are you an author or someone looking to improve your writing skills? Have a favorite podcast that you listen to that we missed? Share them in the comments below.